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Unfolding Stories
Beauty is only skin deep in China 'micro-procedure' craze
Already popular in the West, micro-procedures -- from laser facials and fillers to thread lifts -- are fast becoming the norm in China's cities.
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This photo taken on November 11, 2021 shows Kayla Zhang, a finance worker, receiving laser facial treatment at a beauty clinic in Shanghai. (AFP/Lan Lianchao)
M
idday queues snake out to the street in an upmarket Shanghai neighbourhood, but it's not lunch at the city's hottest restaurant that people are lining up for -- it's cosmetic "micro-procedures", which are surging in popularity in China.
The "lunchtime facelift" and other "medical aesthetics" procedures are booming as a new generation of Chinese consumers grapple with the pressure to look good on social media as well as in person.
Kayla Zhang has never actually gone under the knife for cosmetic reasons, but she's had laser treatments, injections and a thread lift -- a barbed string inserted under the skin and pulled up to "lift" the face.
"I'm not changing my nose or my eyes, which would be an extreme change in my looks," the 27-year-old told AFP, adding that she's seeking a "better version" of herself rather than "a totally new face."
Already popular in the West because they are less invasive and more affordable than traditional cosmetic surgery, micro-procedures -- from laser facials and fillers to thread lifts -- are fast becoming the norm in China's cities where disposable incomes have jumped in the past decade.
The Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics estimates, overall, the cosmetic industry will grow to $46 billion this year compared to around $6.5 billion in 2013.
Micro-procedures are now an expanding segment of that market, while traditional surgery's growth rates slow, according to data from consulting firm Frost and Sullivan.
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